Facebook is rumored to be working on a virtual assistant called Moneypenny. Does the world really need Facebook to jump on this bandwagon? Bryan Chaffin argues that the more companies pouring R&D dollars into these kinds of technologies, the better.

Apple's 12.9-inch iPad Pro is almost a certainty, given what we now know. However, it's important to put the product into perspective. Being a pro-level product, it won't be for everyone, and that suggests merely incremental sales over what Apple is doing now. That's not a bad thing.

All the hubbub over declining Apple Watch sales has helped Bryan Chaffin realize that this device—as good as it is—is missing the kind of killer functionality that has been a hallmark of every successful Apple product. It's needs that one thing we didn't know we needed until we had it.

When a revolutionary new product is launched, the first instinct is to understand it by relating its most obvious features to what we already know. In time, it becomes apparent that the analogies we formed, to understand the device, failed to properly inform us of the new way of doing things. That's the Apple Watch in spades.

Dr. Mac has two small mesh bags packed with all the things he likes to have when he travels. In this episode of his long-running Rants & Raves column he shows off a few items he considers essential for his travelling bag(s) of tricks.

When one couldn't buy an Apple Watch in March, Apple was promoting it heavily. The result was frustration. Now that one can go into an Apple store and buy one, there is no highly visible marketing to create demand. The result is ennui.

Dr. Mac encountered his first (and so far, only) problem with Apple Music last week. He asks Siri to play music by The Beatles all the time and she used to respond by playing one of the 467 Beatles tunes in his iTunes library. After updating to iOS 8.4, Siri said the strangest thing when he asked for Beatles music: “Sorry, I can’t find that.” No matter what he tried, Siri insisted she couldn’t find the Beatles, even though he could clearly see 467 Beatles songs in his library. It took days but he did ultimately find a solution that worked for him...

Apple Watch sales are on the decline, according to a report from Slice Intelligence via Marketwatch. Based on customer receipts sampled by Slice Intelligence, Apple Watch sales have fallen from 200,000 units per day in the opening week of sales to less than 10,000 per day in late June. Whether a seasonal slowing, a failing of marketing, or worse, a failure of product design and development, that decline suggests strongly that Apple Watch isn't the right device yet.

The major design feature of Apple's new MacBook is its low weight. To hold it in one's hand, untethered, is to appreciate the significance of the design. So why shouldn't Apple let customers walk around the store with one and test the keyboard for awhile? John Martellaro makes the case.